SALINAS, CA - Tim Stejskal, Chief Executive Officer, has officially announced the company name, logo, leadership team, company headquarters, and consolidated capabilities following organicgirl, LLC’s merger/acquisition of Braga Fresh, LLC, and Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle, LLC in August 2025.

Stejskal stated in the recent release, “After several months of rigorous integration and strategic alignment, I am proud to introduce our new organization as TheogCompanies. In addition to a new name, a new logo, and a new Executive Leadership Team, we are also announcing a refreshed corporate campus located in Salinas, CA, to underscore our local fresh produce roots.”

Following the acquisition and merger announced in August 2025, Stejskal noted that numerous strategic measures were implemented to reinforce the company’s dedication to excellence, streamlined operations, optimized supply chain, quality, safety, and logistics, as well as a continuing commitment to stakeholders and employees.

“Our guiding principles throughout this process have focused on enhancing the integrity of our combined capabilities to serve consumers, customers, and the fresh produce industry as a whole,” he stated. “We remain dedicated to transparency, stakeholder connection, and employee respect as we pursue our goal to be recognized as the brand most loved and trusted by consumers,” Stejskal said.

The new company logo represents a contemporary interpretation of a fresh vegetable montage, featuring TheogCompanies' name. “Our intention was to deliver a modern graphic that reflects our unity as leading fresh produce brands,” he explained.

The launch of the new company website, www.theogcompanies.com, was also announced, accompanied by a variety of updated communication platforms.

In announcing the company name and formation, Tim Stejskal also announced an updated Executive Leadership Team including:

• Colby Pereira, Chief Operating Officer
• Randy Staehle, President Organics Business Unit
• Greg Taylor, President, Conventional Value-Added Business Unit
• Rodney Braga, President, Fresh Field Pack Business Unit
• Dianna Skillicorn, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Bob Jenkins, Chief Financial Officer
• Richard Jacobs, Chief Legal Officer
• Margaret Scattini, Chief Growth Officer
• Alex Martinez, Vice President, Finance

Finally, Stejskal announced that TheogCompanies will now be headquartered on a multi-acre campus comprised of 12 buildings in Salinas, CA. “We are extremely pleased to be returning to our roots in the Salinas Valley as a new home for our corporate headquarters and integrated functions,” he said.

OXNARD, CA - Mission Produce, Inc., a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados, announced the completion of its acquisition of Calavo Growers, Inc., a leading provider of fresh avocados, tomatoes, papayas, and value-added prepared foods such as guacamole.

This acquisition unites two of North America’s most established avocado companies, building on Mission’s position as a leader in the worldwide fresh produce business. The addition of Calavo further strengthens Mission’s vertically integrated global network, enhancing sourcing and packing capabilities, improving asset utilization across the network, broadening its reach across complementary fresh produce categories, and accelerating its entry into the high-margin, high-growth prepared foods segment. As a result, Mission expects to deliver more comprehensive, end-to-end service with greater supply reliability, flexibility, and enhanced scale to drive innovation across the global fresh produce industry.

“Today marks a significant milestone for our Company and for our industry,” said John Pawlowski, Chief Executive Officer, Mission Produce, in the recent release. “The successful completion of this transaction reflects our commitment to building a stronger, more diversified company – one that is well positioned to meet the growing demand for fresh, healthy, and convenient foods. Mission’s vertically integrated platform, combined with Calavo’s sourcing capabilities, value-added offerings, and deep customer relationships, gives us the scale and the operational foundation to deliver greater value across the supply chain, including opportunities to capture additional integration benefits over time. We are focused on executing with discipline, integrating thoughtfully, and continuing to serve our customers at the highest level. We are proud to welcome the Calavo team into the Mission family and believe together, we will deliver enhanced value for our customers, growers, partners, and shareholders.”

With the transaction complete, Calavo is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Mission. B. John Lindeman, former President and CEO of Calavo, will continue to lead the Calavo business during a transition period and will report to CEO Mr. Pawlowski.

“For more than a century, Calavo has built its business on trusted relationships with our growers, customers, and communities across North America, and that foundation remains firmly in place as we begin this next chapter with Mission,” said Mr. Lindeman. “By joining Mission, our team has access to a world-class global network, strengthening our ability to serve our partners with greater reach, reliability, and innovation. I am incredibly proud of what generations of employees here at Calavo have built, and confident that together with Mission, we will continue to grow that legacy in the years ahead.”

Additional Transaction Details

In connection with the closing, effective May 28, 2026, Kathleen Holmgren has been appointed to Mission’s Board of Directors, which is comprised of 10 directors, with Stephen J. Barnard continuing as Executive Chair. Ms. Holmgren is an experienced C-level executive and former Chairman of the Board of Calavo, who currently serves as a Principal at Sage Advice Partners and has held senior leadership roles at Automation Anywhere and Sun Microsystems. She currently serves on the board of directors of Extreme Networks, where she is a member of the Nominating and Governance, Audit, and Compensation Committees.

Under the terms of the agreement, Calavo stockholders will receive $26.05 per share, comprised of $14.85 in cash and 0.9790 shares of Mission common stock for each share of Calavo (based on the closing price of Mission’s common stock of $11.44 on May 27, 2026). In connection with the closing of the transaction, Nasdaq suspended trading of Calavo common stock on Nasdaq prior to the opening of trading on May 28, 2026. The shares of Calavo common stock are expected to be delisted from Nasdaq by June 8, 2026.

Advisors

Evercore is serving as the exclusive financial advisor to Mission, and Latham & Watkins LLP is serving as its legal advisor. Alvarez & Marsal is serving as Mission’s business, tax and financial diligence advisor, and Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher is serving as strategic communications advisor. Jefferies LLC served as the exclusive financial advisor to Calavo, and Cozen O’Connor served as its legal advisor. Financial Profiles served as Calavo’s strategic communications advisor.

YAKIMA, WA - An event created to build community and create space for women across our industry is taking wing. Last year, the initial foundation was laid to broaden the reach and opportunities found at the International Fresh Produce Association’s annual Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference. An idea to bring a pop-up variation of the event, whose waitlist matched attendance for the 2026 event that took place in April, so that more females in all areas of fresh, especially those who do not get to travel, could connect.

What started as a bold idea one year ago in Yakima, Washington, has become something undeniable. The second annual Women's Fresh Perspective Pacific Northwest Regional Conference, which took place for the second time on May 21 and hosted 230 women, proved that last year's debut was not a moment. It was a beginning.

"The passion in the room was incredible, and it was inspiring to watch women from across agriculture and fresh produce come together to learn, connect, and support one another," Catherine Gipe-Stewart, Director of Marketing for Superfresh Growers, reflected in a message to attendees after the event.

From the first session to the final conversation that lingered long after the room cleared, the energy was unmistakable. Women from the field to operations, food safety, accounting, sales, and leadership filled a space designed specifically for them—a fact of immeasurable magnitude as our industry seeks to embolden an important demographic.

“The best part of this event? Watching incredibly capable women realize they’re not the only ones figuring it out as they go—and then immediately start building the kind of relationships that make them even more unstoppable,” Carrie Mack, Senior Sourcing Manager at Walmart, told me as we talked about memorable moments.

It is shocking the impact a single day can make. Moving around a single, anchoring theme—Lead From Within—every speaker, panelist, and honest exchange in the room orbited that idea. Leadership, the conference made clear, is not about title or position. It is influence. It is a responsibility. It begins with knowing yourself, and it grows through community.

Keynote speaker Wendy McManus set a powerful tone early, challenging attendees to reconsider the relationship between courage and confidence. Courage, she reminded the room, does not wait for readiness—it moves in spite of it.

That message, I was told, landed visibly. Panelists admitted their legs were shaking on stage, and they showed up anyway. In doing so, they gave every woman watching permission to do the same.

“I was truly honored to speak at the Women’s Fresh Perspectives PNW Regional Event. My core idea is that we must lead ourselves well before we can be effective in leading others. In this talk, I focused on two key elements of self-leadership: courage and resilience. My message really seemed to resonate with the audience, and I think everyone found something they could apply even though I was speaking to women from literally every stage of their careers,” she shared with me.

Wendy reframed resilience in a way that resonated deeply: We already carry it. In an industry of hard moments, she reminded attendees that these don't break us from the outside; they bring something already within to the surface. Aligning well with both the room’s attendees and the industry at large, she offered an alternative to pushing harder through exhaustion: Look backward, organizers encouraged. Notice the evidence of what you have already survived, already accomplished.

“What I appreciated most about this event was the electricity in the room,” Wendy said of the overall event. “Everyone seemed genuinely excited to be there, and they gave each speaker and panelist such focused attention. As a speaker, there is an energetic exchange with the audience that feeds me and makes me better. That response from the WFP PNW audience helped me show up at my very best. The organizers of WFP PNW did a fantastic job. Everything ran smoothly and the day was a huge success. It’s not easy to pull off an event of this scale with mostly volunteer efforts. Kudos to co-chairs Cat Gipe-Stewart and Carrie Mack, plus every member of their planning committee who worked seamlessly together.”

Connecting with every walk of our industry, the event then hosted a career advancement panel that brought its own brand of honesty.

Viri Acevedo Saucedo shared that she stopped waiting to feel ready and moved forward anyway.

Eva Martinez described being told she wouldn't fit a new role, and taking it regardless.

Soo Choi delivered the line that brought into frame all the pieces being laid.

"Your career should be a garnish to your life. Don't let the garnish become the full meal. And it shouldn't just be a parsley garnish—make it a delicious, juicy strawberry," she shared.

And the advice did not come without steps to make the process possible: Take the PTO; eat lunch; turn off notifications; say “no” without guilt.

These weren't small reminders; they were permissions in a room full of women who have spent careers proving their worth. It recognized that stress and growth are practical and necessary, but that there are ways to mitigate the cost. A fact that pays dividends for all.

"I didn't say yes. I negotiated my yes," Lina Maria Sanchez concluded, gifting attendees a framework that reframed what self-advocacy looks like in real time.

The conversations started here will continue. The courage practiced here will carry forward. Women who showed up—panelists and attendees alike—have already shared leaving with the understanding that they are not doing this alone. A whole network weaves throughout our industry, ready to connect and support.

What this conference is building extends beyond a single day. As I reflect on the strides even from last year’s debut to this, I can’t help but feel we are witnessing a beginning to the next chapter of a stronger, better-balanced industry for all.